Super Mario Brothers: Quest of the Bleak Realm
by Arcane Yrth
Summary: On a quest to save Princess Peach, the brothers must learn the secrets of Bowser's Bleak Realm. This story is emotional, dramatic and full of angst – True Luigi fans should enjoy it.
1. Sometimes more, sometimes less

**Super Mario Brothers – Quest of the Bleak Realm**

**Disclaimer: Luigi, Mario and Bowser are copyright of Nintendo. I do not own them, but I do own the OCs. If you think that I am intending to infringe on any copyrights, then you're either mean or just stupid. XD**

**A/N: This will be a final warning to you readers; the angst in this story is extreme! If you do not like it, stay away. Otherwise, enjoy – sickos! **

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Chapter one: Sometimes more, sometimes less

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He and his mother were looking down into the crib, it was the smallest living thing he had ever set eyes upon, his baby brother, soundly sleeping. The door opened, and then a familiar greeting. There was laughter, for he was home, and the young boy jumped into his father's arms. He was happy, innocent, and content with life, all up to that very night.

He awoke to his mother's screams, and was afraid for her, as he searched each room, and as he passed the baby's room, he saw the biggest monster he had ever seen: a fire, angry and destructive. The monster was raging, and it became hotter and the flames grew higher. Then he ran into his father, who gave him a small bundle, his brother, "TAKE YOUR BROTHER AND RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! NOW! GO!" And so the boy ran, and in no time, the entire house was engulfed in snaky fang-like flames. Once outside, the boy stopped, holding his tiny brother in his arms, and stared in disbelief at what once was his house, and was now claimed by the unstoppable monster. Then his father dashed out, and wrapping his arms around his sons, he ran with them…

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"Hey Mario, I found it!"

Running down the stairs he almost tripped over himself.

"Whoa little brother, slow down before you hurt your yourself!" someone called out from the living room. And then he met with the other near the stairs. "Ah, my coat! Thanks Luigi, I was looking for that everywhere!" he said as he took the heavy winter apparel from his brother. Then he moved across the room and tended to a large red rucksack, as if making an effort to look busy.

"Well then you didn't look very far, it was in your wardrobe!" Luigi shook his head as he seated himself in an armchair. Quickly, he grabbed a slice of toast from the plate on the coffee table in front of him, of which appeared to be the last one.

"Hey, you could have left me more toast!"

Mario was knelt down looked over his shoulder, glancing at the crumbs, the last remnants of toast left on that plate, and smirked guiltily.

Luigi frowned at his brother, "Is this why you asked me to look for your coat?" he demanded, waving his toast through the air with the hand gestures he made.

"I'm sorry!" Mario said, in a failed attempt to sound apologetic, "I really did need that coat, though."

"I am so going to get you back for this!" the younger pointed a finger at him, before taking a bite out of his slice of toast. "And don't think I haven't forgotten about the time you made me help you with your project for school, and how you left me to do all of it. And after that I couldn't stop you eating it!"

Mario's face split into a grin, as he broke out into a nervous laugh, "That was years ago! And in my defence, I didn't eat all of it, just some of the decoration, which I almost choked on I might add!"

"Yes I know, that part was made of plastic fruit!"

Mario smiled, "Yeah well…don't talk with your mouth full!"

Luigi swallowed, "Don't eat plastic food!"

They each sighed and gazed up in silence, as they let their childhood memories wash over them. "…Those were the days…" breathed Mario.

Luigi was the first to end the moment, "So when are you leaving?" he asked, forwardly.

"…As soon as possible, but first I have to ask around for directions and advice if I can."

Luigi waited patiently to say his goodbyes, which he knew he was never good at, but his brother seemed to be in no rush. The younger sat and observed his older brother, who was still in deep thought.

Mario had prepared himself mentally; he still had trouble facing certain things, a part of him, which he hated and feared at the same time. He scanned the items on the mantelpiece, until one particular photograph caught his eye. Luigi followed his every move, and Mario paced toward the mantelpiece, and carefully picked up the picture that he had been focusing on. He held the frame in his two gloved hands and drew the small image closer to his eyes, until he could see each detail. In his mind, he was reliving the memory of that day. His mother and father were both smiling, caught in the midst of a joke, which Mario now couldn't remember. Next to them, himself, by their side, much too short for his age at the time, he was six years old. His mother, to the right of the picture, looked so happy, she brought a tear to his eye. In her arms was little Luigi, his baby brother.

The picture wasn't perfect, just an ordinary old family photograph. Whoever had taken the picture at the time, perhaps a neighbour or a friend, was being a little careless, laughing too much to take the job seriously. No one had to tell Mario now that the picture wasn't perfect.

"I can't believe it's been eighteen years since we lost dad." Mario finally said, not removing his eyes from the picture. "…And almost twenty-two years since mama's been gone."

He continued to talk, and Luigi faced him now, and listened intently, "…Somehow Bowser always comes back. I am his biggest threat, for I am his nemesis now that dad is gone."

A hint of a smile grew on Mario's face, as his eyes were once again drawn to the bundle in his mother's arms. Then he turned to his brother in the armchair, who was looking up at him, and placed the picture back it its place on the mantelpiece.

"You're going to save the princess, aren't you?" Said Luigi, the question was rhetorical.

"Yes." Mario replied. "Listen… I want you to come with me."

Luigi opened his mouth in a silent gasp, startled at what Mario had said. He was being asked something that he was not prepared to answer.

"I think this time, something more serious is going on… The words Bowser left, "Bleak realm" it seems more serious this time …without even daring me to rescue her, he's just told me to go there. It's as if he wants to challenge me...on a different level." He waited for his brother to reply, and looking up at his determined eyes, Luigi wanted to agree, but something inside him was still holding him back.

"I…I don't know, Mario…"

They both sat in silence, as Mario stared at something that was invisible to Luigi. It seemed as though he had become lost in his own thoughts, and Luigi was almost becoming impatient. Finally, Mario exhaled and placed a hand on Luigi's shoulder,

"I can't do this on my own."

"Yes you can." Replied Luigi, knowing that Mario had succeeded in several, if not the same mission many times.

"Yeah well I don't want to…" he said, half having known that he had to. "…And you know who else would have wanted you to come?"

Luigi swallowed the dry lump in his throat, and looked down."…Who?"

"Dad." Mario received eye contact from his brother again.

"Dad?" the younger brother's tone was like a small voice, coming from the back of his throat, as if these words were private, "Papa? …Really? …I don't really remember that much…" And in that moment, somehow they both felt proud.

And Mario started to stare into his deepest thoughts again. "Dad always wanted us both to be heroes, Luigi, right from the start. After mom died it was all he ever talked about. He always said…that I was to become a hero, and that I needed you too." He faced his little brother again. "Dad would have wanted us both to rescue the princess, and I know I've done this by myself, many times…but I've thought about this a lot and…I remember that dad also told me…to try to make you understand that you are a hero too."

Luigi stared at the ground and beyond; he found it difficult to imagine these words coming from his own father. But secretly, he liked to think that his father had high hopes in him and Mario, and he wanted his brother to be equally proud of him.

"Ok" Luigi said quietly with a smile, as he rose up out of the chair, resting a hand on Mario's shoulder at arm's length. "Ok I'll go with you."

"Great." Mario's face lit up, and he held Luigi by the upper arm firmly, looking his brother proudly in the eyes, and then released it. "Then you'd better go find your winter coat too!" Luigi started to make his way up the stairs,

"Nice try, Mario, but I've already eaten my toast!" Mario looked up, to catch Luigi disappearing up the stairs, before calling back,

"We're going into town first, to see if we can find anyone with answers."

"Okay." Came the reply. "I'm just packing my stuff now, so that I can be ready."


	2. The Shopkeeper

Chapter 2: The shopkeeper

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"Wait, so we're going to Toad Town first, right?" Luigi yelled, struggling to catch up with the fast walking pace of his brother. "And what do we need our warm coats for, anyway? How cold can it be at the Bleak Realm?"

"That's one thing we've come here to find out." Mario called over his shoulder to his brother behind him. "Just ask anyone who you think might know something."

The two of them were walking single file through a busy town, with shops sporting large signs like that of mainly mushrooms, items or gear. To some extent, the place was calm and inviting, and the local mushroom citizens, usually nicknamed 'toads', were friendly enough as to greet the travellers upon passing them. This was no great surprise, as the Mario brothers were well known heroes, this meant that their fame came with a catch. When obsessed fans of theirs wanted their attention, they were seldom left alone.

The town's atmosphere made Luigi feel queasy, almost to the point where he regretted having agreed to join Mario. Suddenly fame was like a curse; he hated the attention it drew to himself.

One toad, on waddling in their direction, threw a friendly comment, "Good luck saving the Princess!"

"Excuse me," Mario was the first to forward the question, "Can you tell me anything about the Bleak Realm?"

"The Bleak Realm?" The small mushroom person knotted his pencil-eyebrows, "what would you want to know about that for?" However he still seemed open and willing to help.

"It's where Bowser told me to find the princess," Mario explained. "He always makes sure I know where to find her. I think it's because he enjoys the challenge. … Can you tell us anything?"

The toad gaped wide-eyed for a moment and then shook it off with a shrug. "I don't know…" He said sincerely. "I always assumed that place was a myth. All I heard is that it is a cold and dangerous place, which we must avoid. But to be honest I don't listen to these stories. I'm sorry, I didn't know that this realm of King Koopa was real."

Mario sighed and gave the toad a pat on the shoulder." Well, thanks for your time." And as the toad walked on past them, the brothers continued walking. After a few seconds, Mario briefly faced his brother who was now walking by his side. "I don't think we're going to get many more answers out of these people, Luigi."

"All they know is that it's cold," moaned Luigi, "but we already knew that. The only thing we gained is that it's a good thing we packed those coats. It's not going to be as easy, finding out how to get there."

One tedious hour later, the tired and frustrated young men were at the verge of giving up.

"Mama mia..." Mario sighed, as he leaned his back on a desultory building. Luigi was about to do the same, when he noticed something, haphazardly.

"Odd…" He said quietly, "This building is giving me one of the strangest of feelings…" and he cut himself off.

"What do you mean? Luigi?" Mario became concerned, turning only to see that his brother had disappeared. "What… eh, Luigi!" he called, as he looked around. "Where did you go?"

Luigi found himself entering the shop, to investigate for himself. He wasn't certain what had given him the strong urge to do so, and upon encountering the urge, he hadn't really questioned it, not even as his eyes began to fall curiously upon the shop's interior.

The place was dimly lit, by some primitive form of lamps, however the light was just enough for the eye to see. Dark wood furniture fitted each wall and corner magically, and the nostalgic smell of the aged pages of books lingered in the air. As his eyes adjusted to the sides where it was darker, Luigi realised that his sense of smell had not mislead him, for there were many books, lining rows upon rows of shelves.

"Can I help you?" An unknown voice croaked at him. Luigi felt a jolt and shivers run down his spine, at the sudden break of silence.

"…Y-es?" Luigi managed, standing uncontrollably still, with only his eyes daring to glance at the voice's whereabouts. But he then became caught in an uncomfortable silence, and forced himself to brave some more steps forward, until he found himself facing an old counter, cluttered with dusty books and various objects. Behind the counter stood a slim figure, whose eyes were set timelessly inside a wrinkly face. His complexion was pale, he wore a loose fitting knitted waistcoat and he wasn't paying any attention to Luigi, for he was lost somewhere deep inside the book he had open in front of him.

"Well well…" uttered the old man, lifting his chin from his hand "haven't seen any young folks like you in my shop for decades…what can I do for you?"

At being prompted the question, Luigi tried quickly to remember why it was he had come, and started saying things unprepared "I…um…actually I was…"

The shopkeeper remained quiet and patient behind his desk. Then the jingle of a bell sounded, as someone entered the shop.

"Hello?" Said the person, with a voice that was almost out of breath. The door creaked behind slowly as it shut.

Straight away Luigi felt more comfortable to talk, "Mario, I'm over here!" he waved to his brother in the doorway. Mario breathed out and came forward. Luigi smiled; now that Mario was here, it seemed as if all the tension in the shop had been wiped away. Although now, a sudden wave of guilt wash over him, on realising that he had left his brother.

"What happened?" The older brother questioned, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Mario." Luigi reassured, "Well…at least now!"

Mario shook his head, smiling. "You had me worried for a minute there, Luigi. I hate it when you run off like that!"

"Sorry, Mario." Luigi looked into his brother's eyes for forgiveness, which was where he never failed to find it.

They were both interrupted by the sound of an animal, as it jumped onto the counter in front of them. It was a cat, which had invited itself into the shop. The old man smiled, as he let the cat caress him as it padded back and forth, with its silky black fur. When the animal made itself comfortable, the man rubbed behind its ear, as if he knew that was what it always enjoyed.

"Looking for anything in particular?" The man said, not taking his eyes off of his cat.

"Actually, we were wondering if you could help us with something." Mario began to pick up from where Luigi had left off, "We need to get to the Bleak Realm. Can you tell us anything about where it might be?"

In a new light, the elderly man raised his head slowly, facing Mario. His eyes switched between the two brothers, casting a glint of suspicion.

"You need to get there, you say?" a number of new wrinkles grew on his forehead. "May I ask why?" His expression showed no anger, but that he was apprehensive.

"Have you been living in a cave?" Mario could not help but joke. Luigi stopped him from going too far, by elbowing him in the side.

"Princess Toadstool was kidnapped by an evil King Koopa, do you know about that?" Luigi questioned, unsure how withdrawn from the world this man really was.

"Yes, yes." He huffed. "I read the papers. But do you mean to say that you actually want to go to the Bleak Realm to save her?"

"We're the Mario Bros." The older stated. "It's our job."

The elderly man took a few seconds to observe his two customers in silence, before slowly shaking his head, "I never thought I would meet the next brave faces…" He sighed as if it was a great relief for him to have met face to face with Mario and Luigi, "wait here a moment." He said with haste, and he rose up put of his chair, and began moving old books and paper that was around him. The two brothers coughed as the books attacked them with clouds of ancient dust, after having been disturbed. A few startled insects scuttled across the table, catching the attention of the shopkeeper's cat. "Wait…" Thought the old man out loud, "I know I put it here somewhere…" when eventually, they were presented with something. It was an old map, drawn on paper that was aged by a brownish tint, and ragged, irregular edges, which threatened to tear unexpectedly.

Mario held the map in his two hands; it was drawn with detail and precision, and even included a compass on the top right corner. Almost every inch was labelled, but the map mainly focused on the landmarks surrounding a single path, which lead to the very top; the label was positioned roughly in the centre of a large mountain region, labelled 'Bleak Realm.'

The brothers were peering endlessly at the piece of paper, almost having forgotten to thank the man.

"Where did you find this map?" Mario asked, no less bewildered than his brother.

The elderly man was settled back in his chair now, and was taking his time to answer. "This map was drawn by a brave explorer." He said, avoiding the question. "He once set off, a long time ago for the Bleak Realm. People will tell you it's a myth, but the evidence is right here. Nearly no one has ever come back from that place. Just that one man." He trailed off into his thoughts, subconsciously stroking the cat with one hand.

"Who was he?" Asked Luigi, "has he died?" he felt as though his mind could burst with questions.

The shopkeeper fell silent. "…Young man…" he finally answered. "You have potential. A hero's potential. I hope you use it well. And I wish you both best of luck."

"…Thank you." Luigi said, feeling frustrated with the man, but also ashamed at his own naïve nature.

"Thank you very much." Mario said, in a hurry to leave, and almost dragged Luigi behind him. "Come on, we have to get going."

"One last thing before you leave…" His voice croaked with effort when they reached the door. The brothers turned back. "Wear your protective amulets." He advised.

They both nodded, understandingly, but once they were outside the shop, Mario rubbed his head, feeling wonder at what he had been told.

"He can't possibly have known about our special amulets," Mario speculated, "you know …the ones from our father…"

They now headed for their home "…Maybe…" thought Luigi, "maybe he knew dad?"

"Maybe…" Replied Mario. "Come one, we have to get our rucksacks and get going."

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Mario searched his shoebox of memories, which was filled with reminders of his father. He had often avoided looking through these objects: photographs, tools, and other things that belonged to him… The memories brought a tear to his eye. For now he would need the amulets, and he placed one in the palm of his hand, passing the other to Luigi.

The younger brother stared at the metal pendant in his palm. It was circular, and sported the image of a star, with a carved intricate design. Mario's was an exact copy. The only way the amulets could be distinguished, was by the ribbon-like string that was used to bind them, in order that they can be worn around their necks. Luigi's was green, and Mario's red. They could wear them as necklaces, as they had done as children, but chose instead to store them in their pockets, somehow each not feeling brave enough to wear them.

"How old was I when I last wore this?" Luigi asked his brother, who, being the oldest, could always remember far more about their childhood.

e "You were four. That was when dad died and we stopped wearing them." They haven't worn the amulets for years. They had been nothing but childish necklaces they had kept in memory of their parents, up until now.

"Do you think they hold protective powers?" the younger asked.

Mario was being patient with his brother, as he turned the amulet slowly in his hand. "…Dad told me something about what they do… Something about energy, I think…protection from energy-drawing creatures. Or something like that, I can't be sure."

As soon as they were ready, the brothers picked up their rucksacks, and map at hand, they set off.

It never crossed their minds to take vehicles, for they generally travelled everywhere by foot. With the little energy it took them, they were far better off jumping; covering much longer distances this way. When they jumped, little energy was used and it was more efficient. Stopping to walk was required when they wanted to build some energy, which usually didn't take long. Every now and then, the brothers would stop to talk, as jumping made talking difficult. And gradually they were nearing the boundaries of the first marked place on the map, a footpath, leading into a forest.

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A/N: They are the super Mario bros. C'mon they "practically invented jumping" didn't they? xXD


	3. Leaving the comforts of home

**AN:** Well it took me longer than I'd hoped to get this chapter done. I was in that place were you just **don't** feel like writing, you know?

Thank you soooo much reviewers! :D There is nothing more rewarding as a reader to get a review, let alone so many positive ones!

Aeolian Mode; yes, in answer to your questions; I sort of have a plan for this story, just so that I can work with a plot. However a lot of what is to come will be ideas fresh from my head, because I can never stick with my own plans. (I always end up changing or adding things!) Also, I will try to slow down the pacing; it was kind of fast and weird so far because I was rushing to get to the main adventure and I didn't want it to be too boring. I'm glad you said this, and now I'll try to relax the writing a little and take more time. I completely agree with what you say about the use of elderly characters! Let's just say I will try to continue including this. (spoiler GRAAH!!)

One more thing everyone: Enjoy!

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Chapter 3: Leaving the comforts of home

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Hours into their journey, the two backpacked individuals had proceeded towards Bowser's Bleak Realm, continuing in the direction of the hills. Now out of town, they were entering into the first remote and isolated area on the map. There were no named labels on the map, other than the Bleak Realm itself and this first location. The only proof that they were headed in the right direction was a crudely painted wooden sign, indicating the same name.

"Forest trail"

The only difference was that the sign also read; "_BEWARE!_"

"_Beware?_" Luigi put, voicing a sense of alarm. "Beware of _what_?"

"_They_ may see it as a danger," Mario spoke comfortingly "but we're heroes, Luigi; we have nothing to be afraid of." He turned to make eye contact with his brother, and placed his hands on his shoulders at arms length. "Besides," he added, "we have our protective amulets." Luigi breathed out slowly as he allowed his gaze to wander to the forest that lay looming over the hill. Mario could read the fear in his brother, and felt guilty at heart for having more bravery than him.

"Can't we at least find another way around?" The younger asked, anticipating his brother's next words.

"Look," the older said, his voice calm but firm. "On every quest, there's going to be danger, but this forest trail is on the map, and that means we have to follow it." Luigi's rucksack had slipped down his back now and the weight strained on his shoulders uncomfortably. He hunched it back, holding onto the straps, and leaning forward slightly to support the weight. He then took a deep breath and nodded to Mario in a reluctant agreement. Mario smiled, then turned and set off walking. Luigi shortly followed him.

"This is the quickest way to Bleak Realm, believe me." He called over his shoulder. Luigi allowed himself to a hint of self-determination.

"And the faster we get there, the faster we can save the princess, right?"

"Right!" Mario's head was turned forward, but Luigi could sense the joy in his voice.

The two adventurers followed the old forest road, and cherished the remaining open blue sky that was above them. Threatening dark clouds were showing over the next hill, like a reminder that simple pleasures such as this, didn't last long.

They were trekking through an area of land that was seemingly undisturbed of its peace. This land was an idyllic place to Luigi; he could have stayed there forever, quiet and content, and live in a place that could have been a reflection of himself. But good things never lasted, and this he knew.

Soon the path thinned out into an overgrowth of long grass, and the edge of the forest presented itself in a cool and unwelcoming silence. This was the end of the trail, and the trodden footpath was lost here. The brothers looked at each other once more for confirmation, and Luigi gulped.

"Come on, it won't be that bad." Mario reassured. "It's only a small forest, we'll be out of there again no time."

On entering the wooded area, Luigi saw that everything around and above him was becoming darker, and he felt the air around him get cooler and thicker. What should have been a green, glowing forest filled with life, was but a forest of thick wooded walls, drained of all the pleasant qualities of a natural place. It was dark, and the silence was all around, causing Luigi to lessen his breathing in a terrible unease, and he could not help but sense that he was being watched.

Along the way, there were startling sounds, making Luigi's heart skip in fear, but he told himself that it was only the branches in the trees creaking. But they had walked through the forest for what seemed like an eternity, and Luigi was beginning to worry that they were lost.

"You call this a '_small forest'_?" Luigi accused Mario "Which way are we even going?" And he inspected the map; "There isn't even a path here, we could be lost."

"Don't worry, if we keep moving in more or less of a straight line, we'll eventually get to the other side." The older brother replied, and he took the map from Luigi and rolled it up.

"Careful!" Luigi gasped, "That's the only map we have!"

"Calm yourself, bro." Mario grinned, and slunk his bag off his shoulder, which he then began to unzip. He slowed his walking pace, and Luigi readjusted his speed so that he could keep walking with him.

"You're too reckless, Mario." He complained. They stopped walking now, and Luigi watched as his brother put away the map.

"If it worries you so much, then why don't you draw a copy?" Mario said, with one hand inside the bag, "You could have one all for yourself." He smiled and Luigi knew that he was mocking him. Luigi looked away for a moment, furrowing his brow, and then looked back.

"Who says you get to keep the map, anyway?"

Mario cast his rucksack back over his shoulder and was grinning. " I do." He walked on ahead. Luigi stayed where he was for a moment, blinking, but soon felt uneasy and caught up with his brother's footing.

After some time, when there had been no further exchange of words, there was a sudden rustling noise in the trees. Then shock hit them both at the noise of a wolf-like howl, and suddenly the several noisemakers came into view. Each man, perhaps there were nine of them, leaped out from behind the trees, warning them to stop. Luigi was the first to see them, for they came in from behind first, and he had turned in his precaution, only to catch these terrifying men, which were now encircling them. They looked like beggars; their clothes were torn and dirty, but they looked more than keen to fight. The one in front was making it obvious that he was their leader, he had more muscle on him than the others, and he was chuckling through barred teeth, his eyes fixated on the Marios, but his grin was not a friendly one. Luigi was almost frozen in fear; these men were much stronger and taller than him, and each of them clearly hadn't eaten in a while. They were strangely inhuman, and much too muscled for their bony figures. They looked like they would gladly kill anything for food. Each of them barred their teeth like animals, some showing large, almost deformed jaws; and their demonic yellow eyes glowed in the dark at our heroes, who were seemingly trapped and helpless.

"Who are you?" Mario asked bravely. "…What do you want?" But the leader only snarled loudly and some of them flinched at the sound of Mario's voice.

Luigi was still trying to control himself. "M-maybe they can't talk." He stuttered. Mario tried quickly to calm his brother, who he had noticed was breathing uncontrollably. He looked up in doing so, trying to think quickly.

The demons were buying them time, testing them, but it was impossible to say whether the amulets were the cause of their holding back. Slowly the monsters were drawing in, Mario had to think. Next he grabbed Luigi by the arm and jumped, powering the most energy that he could into going straight up, and he aimed for the branches, high up in the trees. They were far off the ground when they landed, and Luigi immediately got his balance and looked down. They made noises like a pack of wolves, having had their prey escape from them. As they bellowed and growled noisily, they clawed the bark of the tree. However they showed to be bad climbers, giving the brothers time to escape.

"Keep jumping onto the branches!" Mario told Luigi, and the younger nodded and followed his instruction. Their backpacks were heavy and were slowing them down, but they held tightly onto them nonetheless. Mario concentrated on his next jump, and the demons followed their trail from the ground, moving with speed but as silently as animals along the forest floor. Mario faced the enemies now, opting to defend himself now that he was at a safe distance, and raised his hand. He concentrated energy into it, forming a fireball in his palm. When the fireball was as large as he could make it, he aimed and threw it at the pack below. One of the animals howled from the blow, and they all broke up momentarily in fear.

Luigi turned to see that his brother was far behind, and realised what he had been doing. He then waited for Mario to catch up.

"Don't stop going!" Mario ordered, out of breath. "I said keep jumping!" Again they kept moving, but the wolves were back on their tails. Some of the jumps were hard and steep, as they made the leaps between trees, Luigi had to grab on with his elbows and knees, often grazing himself on the bark. Some large branches barred their way, which at times meant that they had to go around, and at other times, they had to jump extremely narrow spaces. Luigi was midair, when he felt the weight of his amulet slip in his pocket, and then fall out. When he landed, he tried to grab it, but only caught the last sight of it falling towards the ground.

"My amulet!" He shouted in despair.

"Forget the amulet and go!" Urged his brother, who made him continue onwards. Suddenly, like an epiphany, there was shining light ahead of them.

"There it is!" The younger pointed, "We've almost made it!" With the light ahead of them now, they jumped harder and with more effort than before. Without stopping once to look back, Luigi moved impatiently ahead, gasping with every bound, and watching the forest edge become brighter and greener. He stopped abruptly, now there was nowhere else to jump. He looked behind him, and Mario was already there. Below them, the wolves were nowhere to be seen. "Where did they go?" asked Luigi, rhetorically. In reply, Mario blinked and shook his head, trying to catch his breath back.

"Maybe your amulet scared them away." The answer was meaningless and did not explain much. All the same, when neither of them knew something, Mario would always have an answer; just to make Luigi feel better. Luigi sighed, knowing this, tugged at the straps on his rucksack, and turned to the land that was open in front of them.

It was very open, under a blue sky, and fairly quiet, apart from the odd birdsong. There was green foliage, it was a shrub environment, and the land was earthy and scattered with leaves. In the distance stood the mountains, their goal.

"Lets go." Said Mario. "Those wolves are long gone. They don't seem to be following us anymore, perhaps they don't like the light." And he took the first jump down, and landed softly on his feet.

"Yes…I hope it's that…" Luigi breathed, and then followed Mario. "What were those things, anyway?"

"I don't know." Was all Mario could conjure. "I sure haven't seen any monsters like those before, and certainly not this near the Mushroom Kingdom." Luigi thought about the prospect of the monsters being some form of mutated inbreds, and then shook the thought away.

"Come on." Urged Mario. "Our goal now is to get to the border before sundown."

Soon the brothers were tramping snow under their feet where it became far colder. "We must be at the border now." Mario, the map-holder instructed.

"The edge of the cold mountains?" Luigi asked, hugging his shivering body.

"Uhuh" the older nodded, "that's right. And it's going to get much colder, so we'd better put on our coats."

After putting on their warm winter coats, the heroes travelled onwards, with the mountains, their goal, ahead of them in the distance. It was not long until their feet encountered the first signs of settled snow. When they advanced only minutes later, walking became harder as they were forced to tramp through thicker snow. They were soon both becoming exhausted.

"Let's stop here for the night." Said Mario, dropping his backpack. And with his elbow bent, he moved his arm in circular motion, wincing and rubbing at his aching shoulder joints. Luigi unrolled his sleeping mat and sighed with relief as he collapsed down on it. Then he opened one eye, disturbed by a rustling sound.

"What are you doing?" Luigi gasped and sat up alertly. To his horror, Mario was about to tear the map.

"We need something to burn." Mario said blankly.

"Why would you want to do that?" The younger snatched the ancient map out of his hands.

"Because," Mario began, staring Luigi down, "we need to make a fire, and we have nothing else to burn! It only takes something small to get a decent fireball burning, but it wont work on snow!" He tried to retrieve the map, but his brother held it out of his reach behind himself.

"Use something else!" Yelled Luigi, his voice heightened hysterically, "If you burn this map we won't know how to get to Bleak Realm!" Mario angrily made a noise from the back of his throat and again tried to take the map, this time be seizing Luigi's arm.

"I memorised it," he retorted, "do you think I'd burn our only map if I didn't know the way?"

"But you could still get us lost! Plus this is the only evidence that anyone's ever survived this place."

"Luigi, if we don't make a fire we'll freeze to death!" He attempted to yank the map from Luigi's arm. "Typical," he moaned. "You always hold onto things for comfort!"

On hearing that, Luigi became enraged, and stood up, but Mario tore the map out of his hand, and Luigi gasped, it had been torn in two.

"Come on." Mario moaned, almost sounding as if he wanted to reason with him fairly. "You might as well give me the other half. Or are you going to guard it in your sleep?" Luigi didn't reply, but held his half closely against him and stared coldly at Mario, and while he was thinking, his face slowly turned expressionless.

"Luigi..." Mario said more calmly. And he held out an arm, his palm facing upwards, waiting to take the map.

Luigi looked up again, Mario was smiling now. Slowly Luigi offered the paper to Mario's outstretched hand. He would rather stay close to his brother than stand on a different side, holding on by himself.

"It'll really burn all night?" Luigi asked quietly, content with his decision.

"Well, in theory it should. Since water and snow are the only things that I can't set fire to." Mario lit the paper aflame and then placed it on the ground. "It'll burn now, even though it's touching the snow. It just needed something of moderate size to start it off, you see?"

That night Mario and Luigi slept amidst the warmth of the fire, under the watchful eyes of the stars.

Darkness gradually grew over them, blanketing them under the cold. Still the fire would save them, providing it would burn through the night.

"I hope you really _do_ know your way." Said Luigi, sleepily.

"Go to sleep, Luigi." Mario grumbled.

"Ok." Luigi said. "I'm sorry…I guess I should trust you."

"It's ok." Mario whispered. "Night, Luigi."

"Night, Mario."

* * *

AN: If you're thinking the chapter title was misleading; it was supposed to be. And expect more of that! XP


	4. A night under a sky of warning

**A/N **

Excuse number 1023**:**

Oh man, I've been having SO much trouble with this story! Problems like, deciding where to end the chapter, and what do with my other ideas for this story. It's all just a big jumbled mess and I've guiltily been putting it off… Sorry. I won't be updating again after a long time unless I get my act together on this.

……………………………………………………

Chapter 4: A night under a sky of warning

……………………………………………………

Luigi stirred, agitated and restless, trying to get back to his comfortable dream. But to his displeasure, the biting cold air had pierced into his bliss and washed all reality in with it.

Luigi shivered inside the impractically thin sleeping bag, which proved itself to be useful only in light travel. Luigi had never felt this cold in his life, and he questioned whether he would still be alive, had he not been wearing his anorak. Hastily, he pulled the hood up over his head so that it covered his eyes.

However, it was only a short time before he uncovered them again, though in the lack of light, his eyes had nothing to focus on except the contrastingly bright flicker of the fireball.

He remained on his side, his arms wrapped tightly around himself, and breathed through uncontrolled shivers.

He could now see what difference it made sleeping under the stars, for the sky was not small, not curtained out by his bedroom window. Nor was it meaningless, because it was all around him. This night could have been near perfect, had the temperature not been so unforgiving.

His sense of admiration had not yet been numbed by the cold, for he could see, that he was surrounded by a multi-tonal, dark-blue sky, and he saw straight up above him, that the stars were illuminated with hazy brush-like strokes.

He exhaled; his breath was visible in the air. And he sat up. It was too cold to sleep, he had decided.

Once again drawn to the fireball, Luigi became irritated by the way it mockingly bobbed up and down and danced with pride, as if to brag that it was warmer than he was. Luigi tried to ignore it and pulled himself up. His eyes were set on the sky, to admire the stars.

Since he was cold, he paced a few feet away from the camp, as his shivering made standing still impossible anyway. Luigi's eyes wandered the sky, as his feet trod blindly through the snow. When his neck began to feel too stiff, he gave up and looked straight ahead. He tried to focus on the mountains ahead of him, biting into his own lip, so as to prevent his teeth from chattering.

Then after his eyes scanned the mountain line, Luigi witnessed something strange. He saw peculiar colours wash out from along the ridges of the mountains, and into the sky. Luigi blinked, not believing his own eyes. Then more colour and light were beginning to bleed out, and the mountain itself was getting whiter, as if it were rapidly becoming daylight.

"I'm not really seeing this." Luigi muttered, as he turned his head. And the second that Luigi looked back, he let out a terrified scream. Something had appeared that looked much like a hand, with curling, hideous fingers, and was looming ever closer.

"Mario!" His voice came out in a wheeze. He ran back, stumbling, and then tripped and fell face-forward in the snow. "It's going to get me!" He rolled onto his back, and met two horrible yellow eyes. He could feel his own blood pulsing, beating at his insides. "No!" he was unable to stop screaming.

"Luigi, wake up!" Mario's hands were shaking him by the collar. "I'm right here! It's ok Luigi."

And suddenly Mario was there, but nothing else seemed clear; he tried to ask his brother, but his breath kept hindering his words. Slowly Luigi gathered that he had been dreaming.

"Nothing is coming to get you." Mario repeated, "You're safe." His big brother patiently stayed by his side, and it was only a short time until Luigi had regained both his breath and his awareness.

"Are you OK now?" Mario asked, caringly. Luigi returned a nod, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Mario's hand touched Luigi's shoulder, at first making Luigi flinch, but he almost immediately felt reassured by it.

Sitting up, Luigi rubbed his eyes and groaned; "That was horrible, Mario!" His words were muffled by his palms "That was the worst dream I ever had."

"You say that every time!" Joked the older brother, "But your nightmares can't be getting worse; they just seem that way."

Luigi stretched his arms out in front of him and folded them again. He simply stared at the ground in silence.

"What did you see?" Mario asked, as he rolled up some of his own sleeping equipment.

"I saw a…a big hand…in the mountains." The younger spoke quietly, "And then… a pair of eyes."

Mario remembered the name of such a place; it was on the map, "'the grasping hand.'" He said, trailing off into thought. Luigi lifted his head and looked at Mario until he shook off his thoughts.

"Don't worry," the older continued, "your dreams are just telling us we're getting closer."

"And that's a _good_ thing?" Luigi whined whilst he reluctantly began packing his sleeping bag. "Don't get me wrong. You know I want to help rescue Peach, but...." he swallowed, "I really think this place is bad." They both fastened their rucksacks securely and slung them on.

And Mario replied; "We're going to rescue her, Luigi…" A breeze gently ruffled over their heads, "…no matter what bad things we encounter." And he whipped on his hood.

Luigi sighed, watching Mario walk away. This phrase was normal coming from his brother's mouth, but he was not used to the word "We". Luigi had only come on two or three of Mario's quests. But it didn't matter anymore; he just wanted to think that he had always been there with him.

"Come on, Luigi." He heard Mario call over his shoulder. "Let's go."

"Okie-dokie!" Said Luigi in his bravest voice, and followed his brother.


	5. The iceflower cavern

UPDATE: Oh no…I was just reading through this again, and I noticed I was using way too much awful description at one point, and I really went overboard with the angst *facepalm*

I've been updating a few bits here and there, such as Luigi's power – I wanted to keep the "thunderhand" element in from Superstar Saga (since that's my favourite game), and I morphed it with that of his brawl fire attack, so it looks like a green electric ball of energy, as apposed to the fire thing I used before. :B

A/N: _"This isn't a discontinued story!?!" – Starvix. _No not at all! My apologies again to keep you all waiting this long, I am grateful to all those who stayed patient.

And hey! Where are all my other reviewers?! :/

I hope you soon get back into business of reviewing with every update, people.

This nice long chapter here should conjure up some criticism, hopefully.

* * *

Chapter 5: The iceflower cavern

……………………………………

As the brothers tromped through the snow, they snacked on breakfast bars.

"These taste disgusting!" Exclaimed Luigi, covering his mouth. "What flavour _are_ these?"

"Mushroom." Replied Mario, casually taking a bite.

Luigi shook his head in disgust. "Of course…" He mumbled.

"Well that's all the food we have left, since you insisted on eating all the muffins first." Mario pointed out. "But don't worry; in a few hours time we should have reached the village. And there we can hopefully stock up on food and water.

"What's the village called?" Luigi asked, by means of distracting Mario from the disposal of his half-eaten breakfast bar.

"I can't remember the name, but it's the only sign of civilisation that was on the map, which means it's really our _only_ chance to pick up supplies."

"Who lives there?"

"How the buttons should I know!"' Without looking at Luigi, he added. "I saw you throw away that bar by the way."

They looked around, but there wasn't a single indication of life near them. All they could see was the endless snow-covered terrain. "I don't understand!" The older brother exclaimed, "According to the map, this is where it should be!" He defended himself in the worry that Luigi might lose his trust.

"Look." Said Luigi, pointing to something far away. He knotted his eyebrows, "What is that?"

Mario tried to focus on what Luigi had spotted, but found it too difficult to see.

"Let's go" Said Mario, and they headed towards it, now at the foot of the mountains. They both saw within minutes of approaching, that it was a man-sized entrance into the mountains. Possibly an entrance to a cavern of some sort.

Open-mouthed they stared. Luigi focused on Mario, expecting an explanation.

However Mario was just as puzzled as Luigi. "I don't understand what happened to the village, and why this wasn't on the map…"

"Are you sure it wasn't?" Luigi questioned.

Mario looked around briefly and exhaled, "yes I would have remembered this… But now that I think about it…this could be a way…"

"…A way to where?" Luigi anticipated. "I don't do so well in dark caves…"

Mario opened his mouth to say something, but then digressed, and faced Luigi more seriously.

"Luigi…" He said, "Show me your thunder power."

"…What for?"

"Just show me, so I know you can still do it."

"I haven't used it in a while…"

"Well you might be needing it; so show me."

Obediently, Luigi looked down from his ever-determined brother, and stretched out his palm, he concentrated, and then, forming between their expectant faces, was the electric fiery spark they had been hoping for. It made Luigi smile to see his once almost forgotten capabilities.

It looked like fire, Luigi's power, much like Mario's but green. However, this was only when it wasn't in use. From his past he knew that he could do so much more with it that made you realise it wasn't fire.

"I've forgotten how fun this was!" He grinned. Mario made a half-smile before turning to the cave.

"Let's hope we wont need to use our powers in here…" Mario said.

"Not for anything other than this!" Luigi demonstrated by keeping a lit palm in front of him, for use as a light.

"Oh, good idea, little brother!" Mario smiled as he gave Luigi a pat on the back, and he then imitated Luigi with a red fireball.

Once inside the cave, they realised that their power-lights were proving to be quite useful.

Their footsteps were frighteningly loud. Even more frightful was the sound of their own voices, echoing through the cave so loudly, that they deliberately chose to reduce the volume of their voices to a much quieter scale.

"I wonder Mario…" Luigi began to ponder, "Whether our powers aren't just for fighting. Maybe there is still some purpose, which we're forgetting about."

They were both walking steadily through the dark, wide passage, and there was suspiciously little there to stop them. Although they were now weaving between huge stalagmites, which reached up from the ground and sliced into the infinitely dark roof.

Mario rolled his eyes at Luigi's speech. "Luigi, this is exactly what stopped you using your power in the first place. I have told you this so many times. Nothing bad will come from it as long as your intentions are good. Rescuing the princess in this case…using them along the way."

Luigi fell silent.

Words continued to flow from Mario. "And I know that we used to lash out at each other with fire when we were young. But we didn't know of our responsibilities then, of course. We couldn't control ourselves yet. We went through a difficult time, which you can't blame yourself for."

Mario's echoes died out, and he waited for Luigi to reply.

"I know…" Luigi didn't feel like talking, nor did he want Mario to sense that he had tears welling up in his eyes.

"So, Luigi, why are you so worried? You've never done anything wrong." There came no reply, and the green light was wandering ever further from Luigi's face, leaving to be swallowed in shadow. Mario smiled through his concern. "…Have you?"

As they progressed, they saw stalactites on the roof of the cave that drooled with icy saliva, like the teeth of a large hungry mouth.

"Are you ok?" Mario added. He attempted to find Luigi's shoulder, but his hand first met his arm, which Luigi flinched away from. "It's just me!" his big brother reassured.

"I'm fine." Luigi sounded sad, but Mario understood he was still coping with his claustrophobic-related fear. "It's just…really hard to breathe in here."

"Just relax." Mario said. "It won't be long now."

"But you don't know that." Luigi whimpered. And to distract himself from the illusion of tightening walls, he glanced to a ledge where something had caught his eye. He thought he had seen something blue and glowing, and he wasn't mistaken.

"What's that?" Luigi asked Mario.

The older brother turned, but didn't follow what Luigi had seen. "I don't see anything." He muttered. "Come on now, it's probably nothing."

For some reason Luigi couldn't help himself, he somehow found himself transfixed.

Then he thought he heard something, and he felt inclined to fall silent. As he listened carefully, his ears contacted something like a soft melody.

"Hey why don't you go on ahead, Mario, I want to see what this is."

"What?" Mario stopped and approached him now. "But Luigi..." He sighed, as if to have given in. "-Alright, but if you're going then I'm going too. Because there's no way you're going off and leaving me."

"Or vice versa." Luigi added.

"Right." The two stepped across to a rockier side of the cave, upon which there seemed to appear many more rocks and ledges at a closer angle than from even a short distance away. "It's probably just nothing though..." Mario added impatiently.

"Aha, you see that ledge up there?" Luigi was pointing enthusiastically. "That's where I saw it from back over there. I know it was this one!"

"What did you say you saw again?" Mario asked with a tone of boredom.

"I didn't say… I think…. Anyway I saw this light, a blue light!" The young plumber started with a determined effort to climb the wall. The ledge was about a meter high off the ground, but the rocks provided good leverage for him.

Suddenly Mario straightened up. "Hey! What are you doing? Be careful!" He kept putting his hands out to support Luigi, even though he was by now out of his reach.

The melody was getting closer, like a pheromone he could even smell it. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Mario said, and then tried to listen. "I don't hear anything. Don't climb so high up, you could hurt yourself!"

However Luigi didn't hear Mario's answer, as he was too submerged into the melody and trying to reach his destination. The song was sweet, and simple. Like a lullaby singing him to sleep. He almost would have let himself sleep, had he not been so engaged in finding the source of the melody itself.

"Almost…" Luigi's hand made contact with the smooth, flat ledge, and he hauled himself up, grunting with effort and pushing his aching arms to the limit. There was a surface up there big enough for him to stand. And when he did so, he almost wandered amazed into what was in front of him.

"Luigi!" Came the annoyed response from his brother.

"I've made it Mario." Luigi called. "I see it!" He at once exclaimed.

"What? What do you see?" Mario couldn't see his brother up there, and kept twisting his head from his restricting viewpoint.

Luigi's eyes widened. His face shone with brilliant light of white and blue. He saw something his words couldn't describe. "I…" He stuttered, wishing he could share the sight with his brother. "Ung…" He was aching to approach the area in front of him, and out of some unknown fear tried to resist, but after just seconds, he couldn't take it any longer.

He knew what it was. An iceflower. It was a power up, used to fend against enemies, which enchanted the clothing of the wearer too. And yet, at this moment, he could not see the object in the same way as he had before. There was a tingling sense of temptation, and yet a terrible urge, that pulled him in, more than his own mind would allow. His right arm reached out, and he stretched until the iceflower couldn't have been more than an inch away from the tips of his fingers. And with hesitation, his hand drew back. Then suddenly he lunged out and grabbed it at the stem.

Quickly as a flash, Luigi began to see images; once more the sweet scented melody came like a breeze to his senses. He saw a flash of blue sky, and the face of someone he knew, but he couldn't concentrate. He felt sick. Then Mario's voice shattered all his visions, and he was back again on that ledge, with the aching realisation that he had fallen to his knees, crushing the uprooted plant tightly in his fist.

"Mario." He managed. He couldn't recall what his brother had just said, but he knew he must still have been waiting for him at the foot of the wall.

"So what is it, Luigi?" Mario said, and at that same moment Luigi realised he was with him. He had climbed up after him, and yet Luigi must have been unaware.

Luigi not once removed his eyes from the iceflower, but he felt his brother kneel beside him.

"An iceflower?" Mario wondered, noticing Luigi in green and white clothing. "What's it doing all the way up here?" He put a hand on Luigi's shoulder. "You're shaking…" he said worriedly, "what's the matter with you?" He also followed Luigi's eyes to the iceflower, and held his quivering fist, "Why are you gripping it so tightly? Come on, relax."

"I…I feel stronger." Luigi quivered. Mario knew that it wasn't Luigi's first experience of the power-up, but he waited for Luigi to finish. "…But it feels…strange, somehow different." Luigi's fist loosened a little, as his breathing was now the focus.

"It's ok Luigi, just come on down and we'll be out of here in no time." Mario comforted, thinking that the cave had done very bad things to his claustrophobic brother.

Luigi made it down safely, his knees luckily hadn't been scraped too bad as to tear his overalls; at least one less thing to worry Mario.

Helping Luigi down, Mario asked "How are you feeling now?"

Luigi hopped onto the ground, landing on one boot after the other. He breathed deeply for a moment before making his reply. "I feel much better, thanks."

Mario pretended to believe him. Clearly he was annoyed that they had wasted time.

"Sorry…" Luigi looked down. He was about to say more, but Mario interrupted him.

"Oh don't worry about it." the shorter man smiled. "Let's go find that exit now."


	6. A torturous haven

A/N: I didn't write this recently, I wrote it some time last year, or maybe even earlier, and instead of posting it I kept putting it off. :/

I'm a bit worried about some of the themes being a bit clichéd… I'd be happy to hear any of your thoughts on that matter.

Also: slight pairing is imminent Owo

* * *

Chapter 6: A torturous haven

…………………………………

After travelling onwards for an hour it seemed, Mario and Luigi found that the path had come to a dead end.

Luigi now felt more claustrophobic than ever before, with even less hope of escaping this nightmare of a cave.

It seemed that this was once an exit, but it had collapsed in with the weight of the snow.

"Maybe we can melt it." Mario suggested.

They tried out this method, but Mario's fire seemed too weak against the snow's thickness. And Luigi couldn't harness enough energy through his thunderhand ability. They had managed to melt only a layer of the wall. Moisture ran from the ceiling down to the ground.

"I think we need power-ups." Mario said after few attempts. "Here!" He said fishing something out of his bag. "Fire flowers!"

Luigi grabbed one and was immersed in a bright yellow force. In a few seconds his overalls were changed green, and his shirt and hat blue.

The now red-overall'd Mario threw fireballs that were greater than the ones he made naturally. Luigi was stronger with the power-up as well.

The blockade of snow was now melting rapidly. And the icy water formed a pool around them that was ankle-deep.

Luigi stopped for a second to shake his boot dry, when was there was an earth-shattering rumble that caused him to freeze.

The snow all around them started moving, and the roof was slowly collapsing in. They yelped in surprise, as gradually the floor started shifting too.

Gigantic block-like pieces of ice, which had once been part of the cave-floor, were already falling into the unknown, and scattering into smaller pieces. Beneath ground level, the blocks fell and burst in a deathly pool of water, which in turn splashed out, and soaked them through; the water was the coldest they had ever felt.

Mario and Luigi tried to scramble out of the way of the disaster, but they were trapped on one side.

In no time the ground under their feet was gone, and in a final vigorous attempt to save themselves, they each grabbed onto the last plate of solid ground they could see. But inevitably their hands slipped off the edge, and they were pulled downwards like grains of sand in an hourglass.

They fell screaming, and violently hit the water.

One at a time, they gasped for air.

It had not occurred to either of them before, that they were not accustomed to breathing this Bleak Realm water.

It was even colder than they could have imagined. All Luigi could see was the harshly lapping surface of the water, and continuous falling ice thundering down all around him. The freezing pain had numbed him so quickly, that he hardly noticed the mountain of ice, which collided into him that instance. Luigi collected his thoughts quickly again; he knew he had to stay headstrong and conscious. He deliberately wriggled out of his shoulder straps, and lost his rucksack, leaving it to sink away, and noticed that his brother had abandoned his too. He felt instantly lighter, and swam blindly back to the surface.

To Luigi's relief, the falling ice looked less dangerous out of the water, this was a comforting thought as he dragged his half-dead body onto a floe. His head was spinning so much, that the voices he heard, and his entire vision, spun against his will before him in a muffled silence. He could not fight it anymore. He cursed claustrophobia, which had made everything more difficult, and in no time, he was flat out cold on that ice floe.

He assumed that Mario was somewhere there next to him, but he couldn't conjure up the strength to make sure that he was.

That melody, once again, unmistakably the same as the iceflower melody he had heard before. He wished he wasn't hearing it, but it was there, forcing him to sink into its cushioned bliss. _That beautiful melody_, he thought. He had to peek with one eye. He was wavering in and out of consciousness, and barely noticed the ice block he was on now drifting into the unknown.

For a moment, Luigi thought about why he actually wanted to avoid that sweet lullaby, when it was so relaxing and blissful. He questioned why it chose to come to him now, at a time when he was suffering and exhausted. He felt like he was being cheated somehow, rather than being helped.

Luigi heard a groan right before he awoke, and then realised that it was his own. He was breathing, somehow. He turned onto his side, and noticed that below his waist he was in shallow water, so he dragged his legs to dry land.

He had been washed ashore, somehow, and disappointed himself, when he imagined himself on a warm, sandy beach; because in reality, all he could feel was cold hard rock beneath him.

He half groaned and sighed, angry and annoyed, and wondering whether it was morning yet, when he could clearly see beams of sunlight shining in around him. He painfully rolled onto his back, resting on his elbows, when he noticed some other things. He was inside a somewhat circular area, surrounded by greyish blue-coloured wall; the latter making him panic.

However when he was slightly calmer, Luigi got to his feet shakily, so that he could look for his brother.

He first saw the hat, the bright red headgear had washed up on the rocks, and he ran close to it until he could see Mario.

The small plumber was on some ice, lying on his side. Luigi waded waist-deep into the water to where he was, and quickly turned his brother onto his back. He tilted Mario's head back, and put his ear to his chest. He felt him breathing, but he wasn't coming to.

Then he heard what he had been ignoring the entire time, what had been in the centre of that cave. But they sang to him, and there were so many. An illuminated bed of sapphire iceflowers grew perfectly under the circulatory skylight, summoning him in silence.

Their voice was sublime, like one beautiful and sweet-smelling lullaby. He was given the most blissful feeling ever. His head keeled forward, and he tried to regain it. At the same time, his eyelids became unbearably heavy, and he needed to shut them. He fell to his knees, lured into a blissful slumber.

Naturally, he tried to fight it, but it was useless. The more he fought, the more mentally and physically weakened he became, and within minutes, he was so extremely worn, that every other sense of reality had left him, and he couldn't feel anything bad anymore.

When he fell, he didn't know it. The only thing he felt was the embrace of loving arms. He slowly looked to see what was in his hand, and raised it to eye-level. A flower, it made him smile. He exhaled, and turned to see whose arms had touched him, when he met face to face, with someone he knew, and loved. Without thinking, he gave her the flower. She smiled, and Luigi knew these warm, curvy features. In an invisible breeze, the girl's yellow dress flowed lightly.

"Daisy!" Luigi's voice joined her laughter.

The couple were in a forest, bright with cheerful sunshine, and the impossibly beautiful trees blossomed before their very eyes.

She took his hand in hers and held him with the other. Snowflakes began to fall, though they were soft and had almost no feel to them. Luigi held her and danced with her, endlessly content, smiling and laughing. He felt like he was being reunited with what was most beautiful to him.

* * *

The darkness faded slowly away. Mario awoke, coughing up water and trying to say his brother's name.

After he had staggered to his feet, he couldn't find him however. He saw that his soaking rucksack was suspiciously near him; his only conclusion was that Luigi had dragged it out of the water and left it there. This left him questioning harder where he could have gone.

There were not many possibilities; one or two exits perhaps. But Mario realised, that if Luigi was well enough, he might have left the only obvious way, which, taking his phobia into consideration, was quite understandable.

So Mario left through that same exit, unable to face any other possibilities.

He also grabbed his rucksack quickly and dragged it after him. It had soaked up so much water, that it felt at least ten times heavier.

He was in another section of the cave now, running, ducking a little to avoid the ceiling, glad to notice that there was no more snow or ice here. The area was filled with light, from natural skylights, formed from openings in the ceiling. It seemed the final exit was just ahead. He dashed, the exit was narrow, and he had to crawl through, lastly tugging his rucksack behind him.

It was hard to get used to the fact that on this side of the mountain, there was no snow at all. There was grass and trees, but still little. The sky was not blue, but white, with no clouds. And he saw the very tall and shadowed Bleak Mountains, still seemingly out of reach, in the far distance. A mysterious grey cloud-like essence was stretching from the mountain range. But he had to ignore it for now.

Once his brain allowed his thoughts to catch up, Mario remembered predicting that Luigi had come this way, but now he feared that he had been wrong. Mostly that panicked idea had hit him earlier out of wishful thinking and comfort. Surely Luigi would have waited by the exit; it would be very unlike him to wander off, especially to leave his brother unconscious in the cave like that.

* * *

Luigi forgot the last part of his dream, but the vagueness of Daisy still lingered. He was awake, and in truth his first thought was that he had fallen into a patch of nettles; the side of his face was stinging. Also, a peculiar brisk wind was brushing through his clothes and ruffling his hair.

When he slowly lifted his face and sat up, he began to remember things from before he passed out. He had of course awoken in the cave.

Looking up, he could see the pure white sky, framed by the big and circular opening in the ceiling. Then suddenly remembering what he was sitting in, he sprang to his feet quickly, almost stumbling, and steadied himself at a safe distance.

He swallowed, and spun round to check his brother, who had of course disappeared. Confused, Luigi searched for Mario, until he realised that even his rucksack was missing. Earlier he had rescued the red rucksack and put it near Mario to dry.

He then wondered where his own rucksack was, but he knew he had already run out of places to look. He did find, however, one mushroom cereal bar, perfectly preserved in its packaging, washed up on the rocks. And he threw it with aggravation back into the lake.

"Luigi!" He heard Mario cheer finally.

Luigi hurried to the entrance tunnel to where his brother was. He was so glad to see Mario, that he almost would have hugged him, had his happy face not changed to worried.

"Where were you? And…what happened?" Mario asked, clearly in concern.

"Where were YOU?" Luigi shot back.

"Your face…you look like you got cut."

Luigi touched the side of his face that he had been sleeping on, and it felt swollen and scarred, "Is it bad?"

"Well, it looks painful" Mario cringed. "Is it?"

"It only stings a little." He lied. "…Where are we going now?"

Mario was aware of how his brother had changed the subject, unsure as to why he needed to avoid telling him what had happened. But he chose to leave it for another time. Suddenly he remembered his initial goal, which was to reach the village he had noted from the map.

"We're going to walk down the hill to the village." he announced.

Luigi returned a nod, with the trust that anything would be better once he was out of the iceflower cavern. And he at once regretted having changed the subject.


End file.
